At some point in your adult life, neck pain is highly likely to have been a common experience for you — and that should come as no surprise at all. According to the American Pain Foundation, neck pain is the third most common type of chronic pain among millions of Americans, and it can often be described as severe and even disabling.
Most cases of neck pain remain inconclusive, meaning there is no single cause that can be pinpointed as its official source. And if a person were to visit their primary physician or a specialist, these would probably prescribe medications for the pain — this could pertain to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or opioids.
A more ideal solution
While popping pills may appear to be a simple course of action, it’s not always the best possible solution to turn to — especially if the patients notice that the pain isn’t even really going away despite being on medication for extended periods of time.
It may be much more beneficial to your health if you were to turn to pain relief methods that could actually do what medications can’t — which is to pinpoint the underlying cause of the neck pain and facilitate true healing.
And more light can be shed on this matter if a patient were to resort to exercising and approaching a chiropractor for help with their neck pain.
Spinal manipulation or working out?
Research from the Annals of Internal Medicine found that simple exercises done at home, and chiropractic care, were more effective in reducing pain compared to taking medication like ibuprofen, aspirin and narcotics.
After 12 weeks, people with chronic pain who were prescribed chiropractic care and exercises reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent pain reduction in people who were told to take medication in the same time period.
And a year later, the individuals in the non-medication groups also continued to say that they experienced at least 75 percent pain reduction, while the medicated group only registered 38 percent pain reduction at most.
Exercise can help a person achieve improved posture, functionality and range of motion, and can help strengthen key muscles and restore flexibility so that neck pain can be prevented or resolved.
Likewise, the spinal adjustments involved in chiropractic care create an impact on the human body on a deep, cellular level, helping to stimulate DNA repair and influence basic physiological processes, so complex dysfunctions in the body (which could be the root cause of the chronic neck pain) can be addressed.
